As the use of technology in business continues to advance, education can be critical to the success of any organization. For example, as a business faces rapid changes and diversity in its competitive market and its technological base, it is important that personnel be sufficiently educated. Since many organizations have finite resources, education of personnel must often be based on a desired proficiency/competency level, a time frame and a cost factor.
In providing education within an organization, several types of delivery strategies are possible. One type of delivery strategy is commonly referred to as “informative,” and involves the communication of information to one or more “learners.” This type of delivery strategy is often practiced when a learner obtains content via the World Wide Web. Another type of delivery strategy is referred to as “interactive,” which involves interaction of a learner with one or more computer programs. Still another type of delivery strategy is referred to as “collaborative.” A collaborative delivery strategy typically involves remote interaction of a learner with peers, a mentor or an instructor (e.g., over a network). Collaborative delivery strategy is commonly practiced in a “distance learning” environment. Yet another type of delivery strategy is referred to as “co-located.” This type of delivery strategy involves in-person instruction or mentoring such as in a classroom environment.
In providing optimal education to individuals, an organization need not be limited to one type of delivery strategy. That is, the most efficient and cost effective manner of educating individuals could involve a combination of delivery strategies. This phenomena is typically referred to as “blended learning/education.” For example, assume an organization wishes to educate 25 individuals regarding certain health care regulations (e.g., HIPPA). Further assume that the organization wishes the individuals to have an expert proficiency level in the regulations, and is not concerned about the cost. In this scenario, an educational program could involve both co-located and collaborative delivery strategies.
The above-incorporated patent application describes a system that allows an organization to design the most effective program for its needs. In designing an educational program as indicated therein, it is often the case that multiple learning objects might form the educational program. In such a case, the interrelationship between the learning objects should be understood. For example, if learning objects “A,” “B,” and “C” are selected for an educational program, the order in which they should be delivered as well as their interrelationship to one another should be made clear so that the educational program can be presented in the most effective manner. To date, this type of “contextual data” has been stored within the learning objects themselves. For example, the relationship of learning object “A” to learning object “B” would be stored within the learning objects themselves. This approach is not only highly inefficient, but also adversely impacts the reusability of the learning objects. For example, if learning objects “A,” “B,” and “C” were selected for the program, they would each need to be adapted in this manner. If, for a future educational program, learning object A was selected along with learning objects “X” and “Y,” learning object “A” would have to be further adapted to include the contextual data for learning objects “X” and “Y.” Over the course of time, the learning objects would become consumed with contextual data. However, if the contextual data could be realized as a separate entity or structure, the reusability of the learning objects would be greatly enhanced.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a system whereby learning objects can be aggregated to form an educational program without having to store the associated contextual data within the learning objects themselves. That is, a need exists for a system whereby contextual data for a learning object is realized as a separate structure.